A web-based multimedia spatial information system to document Aedes aegypti breeding sites and dengue fever risk along the US–Mexico border

This paper describes a web-based multimedia spatial information system used to support a study of the re-invasion of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito vector for dengue fever, in the deserts of the southwest United States/northwest Mexico. The system was developed applying Open Geospatial Consortium and World Wide Web Consortium Open Specifications and using Open Source Software. The system creates a sensory-rich environment, one which allows users to interact with the system to explore connections among data (maps, remotely sensed images, text, graphs, 360° panoramas and photos), visualize information, formulate their own interpretations, generate hypotheses and reach their own conclusions.